Hello, I have recently learned a kata that is known fairly widely now days, but used to be somewhat rare. It is calle Aoyagi, which translates as Blue Willow (actually it could be translated as Blue Willow, but that translation makes little sense obviously). I was wondering if anyone had worked it for some time, and had developed application for it. I certainly have my own ideas on it, but wish to compare notes. Anybody out there do that kata? -Chris A. Johnston
Nobody practices that one. How about Ninjuho kata? Tomari Bassai? Shinsei? Shinpa? Anan? Kensei? Denko? Heiku? Paiku? Papurin? Peichurim? Nipaipo? Wansu (not like the shotokan Empi, but a much larger more complex kata)? Ohan? Pachu? Sansu? I can't be the only one... ? -Chris J.
Chris, Ao = blue. The WKF is using red and blue belts, and the terminology for disqualifying Blue, say, is "Ao, Hansoku!". Anyway, Aoyagi is a kata in the S-h-i-t-o Ryu system, made by it's founder, Kenwa Mabuni. It was made with women in mind, specifically and is purported to have applications quite suitable for women's self-defense. I can't say for sure, as I 've not learned the kata yet, but that's what I've heard.) If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Mabuni was teaching women karate in a dormitory of the name "Blue Willow" or "Aoyagi". That's how the kata got its name. Rob PS: Mod's can you add the word S-H-I-T-O as in one of the 4 major styles of Japanese karate to your acceptable word list? Your profanity filter is putting in *'s where ****o ryu should be.
Hello, Thanks, yes I had heard some of the smae about this one. Also I have been told that it was Yasuhiro Konishi who initially had undertaken the design of a women's self defense set and that he had in turn enlisted the aid of Mabuni, who put a great many of the movements in the kata. The two then showed it to Uesheba, who was then teaching occasionally in the same building, and he addes some insight about areas women should protect, etc. The resulting kata is still alive today, and is considered to be one of Mabuni Kenwa's personal creations (I believe I was also told Mabuni had actually created 11 katas). Application includes chest area protection techniques in the form of palm blocks, groin slaps, dropping blocke (uchiotoshi), vital point strikes, etc. The movements use a low center of balance, evasion, and techniques that do not need to rely on strength. I had hoped to ask a specific question about a particular interpretation. Thank you though. -Chris J.
Wansu is my favorite kata. I actually just learned all the movements earlier this year and now I have started that long road to "knowing the kata". In the last few tournys I competed in Wansu was my kata of choice.
do people do teno kata. my sensei who is a 6th dan just travelled all through europe and only just learned that kata and it is simpler than hein shordan. the first kata for shotokan karate.
Hi, There is often confusion when I discuss this Wansu kata. It is a kata of Chinese origin and is not pronounced with the SH sound (i.e., not 'Wanshu' but 'Wansu'). It is terribly long, and has no movements in common with the kata that most people call Wanshu or Wansu. Shoto-Kan stylists use Funakoshi's name for Wanshu, they call that one Empi. That is not the kata that I am talking about; that one is widely practiced, not rare. The kata that I am speaking of is extremely complex and has many rapid fire combinations of vital point strikes. Thus far I have traced the kata to Joe Ruiz, it was taught to us many years ago when he had been kata advisor for NKJU organization. Joe Ruiz recently answered a question about this kata by E-mail, and named the individual that taught it to him; I have not found anything on the person anywhere and nobody has heard of him. This makes me really wonder where it came from. I sent a video tape of myself doing this one to John Sells, and he indicated interest in it ; he said that he had never seen that one performed before. I know of nobody else to send it to for identification who might know more about many different styles. I was wondering if anyone else had ever heard of or seen a kata matching this description? A handful of schools in the USA still practice it but mostly it has been lost. --Chris J.
Hello, Ten-No kata is one that was added to the system of ****o-Ryu I used to practice from the Shoto-Kan system; it is akin to Funakoshi's Taikyoku series of katas, those were created by Giko Funakoshi, son of the founder of Shoto-Kan. Not sure who created Ten-No. It is basically a Taikyoku-like kata though. The Taikyoku katas were based on Kenwa Mabuni's basic exercise patterns, of which there are 12. Mabuni called them in his syllabus by the initial stance in each direction, and by a number, like so: Heiko Dachi Dai Ichi No Dosa, Zenkutsudachi Dai San No Dosa, etc. These patterns were done in 3 sets of 4, the first set all starting with Heikodachi stance, the next 4 in Zenkutsudachi, and the final 4 in Neko Sahi Dachi. The first (Dai Ichi) of each seriese used a downward block, the second (Dai Ni) used side block, the third used rising block and the fourth used the side block but with a front kick after it but just on the sides. Funakoshi had sent his son and advanced students to train under Mabuni, to learn those katas from Itosu that Funakoshi had not learned while he had been on Okinawa training. These katas they took back, modified, and assimilated into the Shoto-Kan style. Presumably that is where the idea for the Taikyoku series came from; indeed the taikyoku katas are only slightly modified versions of certain of Mabuni's Dosa katas. The Ten-No kata must have also come from that same origin as it is the same but a bit less repetitive than the Taikyoku katas. -Chris J.
Ten No Kata in Hayashi Ha ****o Ryu ( and, I presume Motobu Ha ****o Ryu) is virtually identical to Fyukyu Kata Ichi in Matsubayshi Shorin Ryu. The creator of the kata is Shoshin Nagamine. Teruo Hayashi and Shogo Kuniba were students of Mr. Nagamine for a time, so the kata may have come into those factions of ****o Ryu (hayashi ha and Motobu ha) that way. It is not practiced in other factions of ****o Ryu, i.e., seito, ****o Kai, etc. Instead, these groups practice the Ju Ni no Kata a.k.a. Kihon Dosa. The Kihon Dosa drills follow the same pattern as Takiyoku Shodan, and are indeed quite similar. They may also predate the taikyoku. There is a Ten no Kata, practiced by the Shotokai groups, but that is a completely different beast from the Ten no Kata of Hayashi Ha or Motobu Ha. Rob
hey chris J... This kata Wansu you are talking about... I heard that it is originally a ****o-ryu kata. Can you tell me the first three moves so that I can see if I know it because I have done one that sounds like that, with the quick techniques to vital points......
****oryu's Wanshu: From Heisoku Dachi, slide the right foot forward into cat stance, right hand downward block. Pivot 90 deg to the right on the right leg. Cat Stance right hand downward block. Left hand reverse punch. Step towards shomen with the left leg. cat stance left hand downward block. Open handed outward block with the left hand. Lift the right leg, Sagi ashi Dachi (standing on the left leg) Right hand Inward block. There, first 3 sequences. Rob
No thats not the one we do. We do heiko dachi and then turn left into left side forward zenkutsu dachi and then a downward block follwed by a reverse (gyaku zuki) punch. Then we step forward into (neko-ashi dachi) cat stance and we do a right side forward inverted shuto. Then we do the standing on left leg with right crossed behind it low block. We do that sequence going left from the "T" and then we step across and do it going right, Then we step forward facing shomen and throw a right side miya-geri, stepping down into sheiko-dachi and doing some sort of X block (with a kiai). Then we alternate legs, stepping backwards, in cat stance, throwing an inverted shuto on both steps. We do the whole kata very fast and because we see it as a "foreign" kata (because it isn't goju-ryu) we don't practise it often. At our dojo we don't really promote this kata because it is seen as being too fast and short (It's like 12-13 seconds long). I don't really see that as a rare kata at all, I have friends from many styles that do that kata. It is pronounced Wanchu though, but it must be different from your version.
Hello, This 'Wanchu' is obviously a different kata. The ****o-Ryu Wnahsu that was described above is the one we do, but again, we ALSO do another one that is different entirely. The first 3 steps are forward, first with the R. leg into an oblique Shiko Dachi stance with the body turned toward the 10:30 clock position; the hands open, sweep and cross in front towat 12:00 as they pull to the hips, then a double simultaneous middle punch is executed toward 12:00. Then the hands pull bacl into a simultaneous double Yoko Uke (forearm block) toward 12:00. This is repeated with a L. step and then repeated again with a R. step. Those are the first 3 moves of it. The rapid vital point strikes come in later. As you turn to the corner toward 10:30, both hands come up striking the opponent along the jaw line, (ST-5) + 'Mind Point', using palm-up knife hand strikes with the wrist bone on the ulnar side (pisiform bone) making the contact to (ST-5). Next the hands circly in tight arcs upand into the temple area (could either be to TW-23 or to GB-1), striking with the backs of the wrists on the radial side near to the styloid process of the radius, with the palms turned downward and outward like crane wings. Next the opponent's body is pulled downward and forward as bothe hands move downward sharply and a R. Knee kick is executed; even as the foot is replaced to the ground you are already executinf a double ridge hand strike to the temples (GB-4 & GB-5 on both sides) with the hands circling up and turning palms downward. Then the hands are pulled to the hips as the opponent is again pulled forward, and a double simultaneous punch to the rib cage is executed (ST-17) on both sides. The sequence of these strikes is extremely fast, and then the stance is shifted to the other angle and the thing is repeated a second time, again very fast. The kata also has a flying front kick in it, and a spinning jump as well, among other things. It is VERY long. I was told that it came from an 'Imuzukawa Sensei', but this does not even seem to be a common Japanese name. I hit a dead end researching its origins. But it is an EXCELLENT kata, highly complex and riddled with highly effective techniques. -Chris J.
Hello, Another question has come up. The kata Yantsu is done in some Ishin-Ryu and also Kyukushin circles. It is short, only moving to the middle and then once to either side with front kings and pal/wrist block combinations, then it ends. Here is the unusual part; we learned this one the same way through these few movements, but then there is a whole much longer kata attached to it. Actually ours is a fairly long kata compared to most. Does anybody else do a much longer extended version of Yantsu? -Chris J.
Typing is not my forte. . I had meant "palm/wrist blocks", and front "Kicks". Sorry, big hurry..... -Chris J.
